When Words Fail
by ten million fireflies
Summary: ...music speaks. Selected drabbles from an ongoing iPod shuffle challenge. Various topics, characters, pairings, and styles.
1. Chapter 1

_The following are two drabbles I selected from an iPod Shuffle challenge that I've been working on for quite a while. (See my profile for more information on that.) I've got about thirty written, so I'll be posting my favorites two at a time. The music is somewhat random- my iPod was on shuffle, after all. Hope you like :)_

_DISCLAIMER: I'm not Rick Riordan. Or Meredith Andrews. Or Taylor Swift._

**1. Can Anybody Hear Me by Meredith Andrews**

_Can anybody hear me? The silence is deafening- why do you feel so far away?_

Thalia sighed, staring at the shiny feet of the golden statues. She had been waiting at Hoover Dam for hours, hoping for some sort of sign from her dad. Just one message, so she could know he was there. But after four hours- nothing to be proud of. Did he even care that she was alive? Sometimes, it felt to her like it was just a mistake that she had ever been born. _Can you even hear me?_ She thought, frustrated, staring up into his realm.

"Come on, Luke. He's not listening," Thalia said bitterly to her companion. There was no use in waiting- her father didn't love her, and that was that.

He couldn't even hear her prayers.

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**2. Fearless by Taylor Swift, from the album Fearless**

_And I don't know how it gets better than this, you take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless!_

"Percy, we've got to hurry. Michael spotted Kronos' army over by the bridge-"

"I'm on it." Percy interrupts. He pulls me onto the scooter, and we cruise down 32nd street to meet the Apollo cabin. A large army of monsters approaches. I should be scared…but somehow, I love it. It feels so good to be back by Percy's side, fighting for our lives, destroying deadly monsters…yep. The demigod's life for me.

"Come on!" Percy drags me into the midst of the battle. I gotta hand it to him, the kid's pretty fearless. Course, he is invulnerable, so it's not all that impressive. He doesn't need to be fearless.

But the rest of us- we do. We've only got one life to live, and some of us are making our final stand here. One life to live…and we've gotta live it fearless.


	2. Chapter 2

_Next two drabbles. One more serious, one light-hearted. Enjoy._

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Nor am I Taylor Swift or Reliant K. _

**3**. **The Best Day by Taylor Swift**

_I'm five years old, it's getting cold, I got my big coat on._

Thalia securely wrapped her coat around Annabeth's shivering body.

"There you go, kiddo. Nice and warm," Thalia said, ruffling Annabeth's tangled curls.

Luke checked the map. "There's a shelter just up this way," he said, pointing to a cave off in the distance. "Thals and I built it last year. There's firewood, ambrosia, sleeping bags…everything we need. Come on." He grabbed Annabeth's hand and began walking towards the cave. Thalia followed shortly behind, her spear pointed in case of monster attacks.

"Luke, look! It's snowing!" Annabeth cried gleefully, letting go of his hand to frolic in the snowflakes. Thalia and Luke shared a smile. There was happiness. Peace. _Family._

This was, of course, before the words "Camp Half Blood" "Hermes Cabin" "Pine Tree" "Daughter of Zeus" "Kronos Taking Over Western Civilization" and "Percy Jackson" ever came to mind.

**4. Sadie Hawkins Dance by Reliant K **

_Girls ask the guys, it's always a surprise, there's nothing better._

"So, see you at the fireworks tonight?" Annabeth ran off, laughing at my surprised face.

_Crap!_ Did she just ask me out? _Wow, Percy. Fail. Epic fail. _The guys are supposed to invite the girls, right?

Well, it worked out. I got a date with Annabeth. But still… I feel insecure about it. Like, I'm not good enough for her.

If I just said that to Annabeth…she'd probably laugh and call me a Seaweed Brain.

But imagining that alone was enough to give me some encouragement.

I ran after Annabeth. "Wait up!"


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N- Back with two more drabbles, with similar songs and similar topics. Funny. Anyways, I LOVE writing Luke/Thalia/Annabeth stories. If you enjoy these two drabbles, and want to read something similar, you might want to check out my oneshot, "Two Thirds of a Family", for Luke's perspective after Thalia's pre-series "death."_

_That said, hope you like the next two drabbles. Review if you wish. _

_DISCLAIMER: The rights to PJO are not in my possession. Yet. And for the third time, I am not Taylor Swift._

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**5. White Horse by Taylor Swift, from the album Fearless**

_Had so many dreams about you and me, happy endings, now I know._

I slashed though another straw-stuffed dummy with my knife.

"How could you, Luke!" I cried aloud, not caring who could hear me. I thrust at another dummy. I couldn't believe he had turned away from us. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it coming. I couldn't believe I had trusted him. I couldn't believe…

I loved him.

For a daughter of Athena, I was pretty stupid.

How did I fall for him? He's way older, more popular…stop it, Annabeth. That doesn't matter anymore. Luke betrayed you. Luke betrayed…everyone.

I decapitated another dummy.

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed to the sky.

"Um…Annabeth? Chiron said to get you for archery practice. Are you sure you're okay?"

Malcolm stared at me, his grey eyes wide.

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**6. You're Not Sorry by Taylor Swift, from the album Fearless**

_And it's taken me this long, baby but I figured you out._

Thalia parried Luke's strike and thrust again, aiming for his chest. It hurt, hurt to be fighting the man who used to be her friend. But she had to do it.

Because he just wasn't Luke anymore. He had betrayed everyone- he had betrayed _her_.

She couldn't believe it had taken her this long to come to terms with the fact. All this time, during the quest, she had been defending him, sticking up for him, not really believing he could just turn his back on it all.

But as soon as she looked in his blue eyes- the eyes that used to be so beautiful, now full of only pain and anger- she knew.

Luke _really_ was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N- Thanks to everybody who reviewed! It means a lot to me :) These next two are both mostly conversation. The first is my attempt at humor, the other is a Percabeth rewrite of a favorite scene from The Titan's Curse. Keep in mind that my iPod was on shuffle as I wrote every single one of these drabbles, so I didn't choose the songs. _

_Enjoy =) Review if you wish._

_Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to PJO, Wicked the Musical, or High School Musical._

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**7. Popular by Kristin Chenoweth, from the musical Wicked**

_I'll show you what shoes to wear, how to fix that hair, everything that really counts to be popular._

"Silena, leave me alone!" I brushed off the daughter of Aphrodite, who was, yet again, trying to convince me to let her give me a makeover.

Me.

A _makeover_.

"Come on, Annabeth! You're meeting Percy at the beach later, right?"

I blushed. "We're just planning for the quest."

Silena squealed. "Oh, that's so cute!" She tugged my arm even harder.

"Silena, I really need to go-"

"_Please_? I'll just help you get ready-"

"Oh, fine." _As long as it gets you to stop nagging me._

"I'll make you the most popular girl at camp, with make-up and high heels and a dress and…" Silena fantasized. I groaned.

"Silena, maybe you could just do my hair?"

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**8. Can I Have This Dance, by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, from HSM3**

_Take my hand, take a breath, hold me close, take one step, keep your eyes, locked on mine, and let the music fill your mind._

"I was thinking, we kind of got interrupted at Westover Hall. So would you like to dance?" Percy asked, blushing slightly. _Such the seaweed brain. He's probably never asked a girl to dance._

"All right." We began to dance, and our eyes locked.

Then Percy stepped on my toe.

And the tender moment was broken.

"Percy, really. Don't you ever dance?"

"Umm…unless Westover Hall counts, no. I…I usually hide in the corner at school dances." He tripped over my feet again, pulling down on my hand as he stumbled.

I shook my head. "Seaweed Brain."

Percy smiled, holding back a slight laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow suspiciously.

"You called me Seaweed Brain," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"And…"I trailed off.

"I missed you calling me that."

I smiled back. "I think I missed you too."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N- Thanks so much to everybody who reviewed! It means a lot to me. Next up is…the Wicked chapter! Ironically, I've found songs from Wicked to be surprisingly easy to apply to Percy Jackson. First one- number nine- is my first endeavor into Percy's point of view. Surprisingly hard- how do you guys think I did? Second drabble is a continuation of the dramatic Thuke theme. _

_Enjoy =)_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own PJO. And though I dream of playing Elphaba, I do not own Wicked the Musical either._

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**9. Defying Gravity by Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, and the ensemble, from the musical Wicked.**

_I'm through accepting limits, 'cause someone says they're so...Tell them how I'm defying gravity._

I slammed the door of the Poseidon cabin shut. _Stupid Hunters._ I needed to be on this quest.

No- _Annabeth_ needed me to be on this quest.

I snatched up her invisibility cap. It smelled like lemon soap. Like…Annabeth. Gods, I missed that smell. _Whoa, Percy. Back up. She's your best friend. JUST your friend._ Getting that straight, I absentmindedly smiled at the cap. A plan was formulating in my head. A plan worth of Athena, as Annabeth would say.

In the early dawn, I slipped quietly out of my cabin, invisible thanks to Annabeth's cap. I followed the Hunters, Thalia, and Grover, and once I figured out where they were departing from- and where they were headed first- I went to the stables.

Mounting Blackjack, I thought through my plan for a moment. _Was it the right thing to do?_ Sneaking off to do a quest was against camp rules. I could face suspension, expulsion, or worse.

But you know what? _I. Don't. Care._ Annabeth is in danger. Just because someone says there are boundaries doesn't mean they're so. The time for accepting limits is over.

Blackjack and I soared up into the sky. Time to start this mission- with a little defying gravity.

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**10. No One Mourns the Wicked by Kristen Chenoweth and the ensemble, from Wicked**

_And goodness knows, the wickeds' lives are lonely. Goodness knows, the wicked die alone. It just shows, when you're wicked, you're left totally on your own._

She held back tears, but it was too late. The floodgates opened, and she allowed here tears to flow out freely.

It just wasn't fair. He died alone, and she wasn't there to say goodbye. And now, nobody even cared. No one mourned the wicked.

Deep inside, Thalia knew it was only fair. Luke chose that fate for himself. He chose a wicked path, he chose to be wicked. It wasn't her fault. But she couldn't help her regrets. _I could have done something,_ she thought. Nothing was right. She could have helped.

It wasn't right that Luke should die so young. TWENTY-THREE. He was only twenty-three. That's too young to die, Thalia thought. It wasn't right that for his short life, no one had been there for him. He had been alone for much too long. And it wasn't right that he had died alone.

Thalia knew it wasn't right for her to think that way. He had died with Annabeth by his side, and Percy as well. But neither of them felt as close to Luke as she did. Neither had loved Luke- really, truly, loved him as Thalia had. She should have been there. It would have been right.

But of course, nothing was right about this whole situation. They were demigods, after all. When were their lives ever right?


	6. Chapter 6

_Random update is random. Hello everybody; though anyone who reads_ Indelible_ probably doesn't believe me, I am indeed alive__ :) Found these two today in my old drabble collection and decided to add them to When Words Fail. First is a Tyson + Percy conversation; second is unrequited Rachel/Percy, which, come to think of it, was probably early inspiration for _Indelible_ (speaking of which, is not on hiatus...I'm just a horrible updater.) Enjoy and review if you wish!_

_I disclaim._

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**11. Umbrella Beach, by Owl City, from the album Ocean Eyes**

_Home will always be here, on sea._

Tyson happily pounded away at his underwater forge, counting the seconds until his promised Iris Message from his brother Percy. Tyson loved talking to his brother-almost as much as he loved living underwater in his Daddy Poseidon's kingdom.

Percy's face appeared in the mist.

"BROTHER!" Tyson shouted, dropping his tools and, in his excitement, not noticing that they had fallen on his foot.

"Hey, big guy!" Percy smiled at his Cyclops half-brother. The two talked for about half an hour, extoling the virtues of peanut butter (Tyson's new favorite food), recalling adventures from their quest together, and discussing Annabeth, much to Percy's embarrassment.

"When are you coming back to Camp Half-Blood?" Percy asked, when he was getting ready to disconnect. His smile faltered as he saw Tyson's jubilant expression dim.

"Um…big brother, I don't think I'm coming back."

"Why?"

Tyson bit his lip. He didn't know what to say. "I love being with you and Annie-Beth at camp, big brother. But you and Annie-Beth are the only campers that really like me there."

"That's not true! Everyone loves you." Percy exclaimed, forcing out the lie.

"You are nice to try to make me feel better, big brother. But my home is on the sea with Daddy Poseidon. I am a Cyclops and Cyclops belong here. "

"I understand, Tyson. It's okay. Annabeth and I will miss you. Talk to you later?"

"Goodbye big brother Percy! Say hi to Annie-Beth for me!" Tyson waved through the Iris message.

"Sure thing, big guy."

"I love you, big brother." And Tyson slashed through the mirage with his hammer and resumed his work in his home on the sea.

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**12. Teardrops On My Guitar, by Taylor Swift, from the album Taylor Swift**

_I bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about, 'cause she's got everything that I'll have to live without._

Rachel listened eagerly as Percy described Camp Half-Blood to her. _I've really found a true hero, _she thought to herself. She laughed when he told her of past Capture the Flag adventures, and she smiled when he described his past quests.

And she pretended not to notice the change in Percy's expression when he began to tell of his camp best friend, Annabeth. As Percy described her, Rachel realized this girl was about ten times more beautiful that her green-eyed frizzy-haired self. And she could see it in his eyes- he really liked her. He liked her a _lot. _Far more than he had ever liked Rachel, or ever would like Rachel.

Rachel could see Percy loved this Annabeth. But for now, she would pretend not to care. She would pretend not to know that as soon as Percy came to terms with his feelings, he would be Annabeth's and Rachel would have to learn to live without him.

But she would pretend not to notice. Because right now she wanted to believe-needed to believe-that Percy was her own hero.


	7. Chapter 7

_Three cheers for that out-of-nowhere-late-at-night-NEED-TO-PUBLISH-FANFICTION feeling! So here's another random update for y'all :) Hope you enjoy, and if you're so inclined, tell me what you think! _

_I am not Rick Riordan, Adele, or Owl City. Or JK Rowling, for that matter, because I kind of referenced Deathly Hallows in #14._

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**13. Someone Like You by ADELE **

_I heard that you're settled down, that you found a girl and you're married now._

The invitation came in the mail a few months later. She knew it shouldn't have surprised her.

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of Jason Grace and Piper Mclean, _it said, in curling black script on lacy off-white paper. So frilly. So Piper. So perfect.

_So not-her. _

Shouldn't this have been their happy ending? She was Reyna and he was Jason and they were supposed to be forever, right? Praetors together, best friends, separated by powers beyond their control but reunited by sheer determination…she's read the classics, and the heroes always get the happy endings.

_Maybe she's not a hero. _

Maybe all she did was stand back and watch, let the Romans and the Greeks clash when she knew some part of her should be smoothing the cracks in the tension-filled alliance while Piper charmspoke her way into Jason Grace's heart.

But she is Reyna, she is a daughter of Bellona, and she is nothing if not determined.

She won't mope, she won't dwell in misery- she'll stand on her own two feet and find someone else.

She is Reyna, and she does not need Jason Grace.

**14. Dementia by Owl City ft. Mark Hoppus **

_This is love, this is war, this is pure insanity._

Perseus Jackson was, Annabeth decided, was completely insane.

(She wonders if realizing things you've really been aware of for years was a side effect of nearly dying more than three times within a twenty-four-hour time span.)

"Hey Wise Girl, don't I get a kiss for luck?" he shouts to her- he shouts to her, asking for a kiss when an army three times the size of their own is approaching from across the bridge.

(And she'd be flattered if she _wasn't_ so terrified he was about to die.)

"Kind of a tradition, right?"

And she about smacks him, because how _dare_ he reference their kiss in the volcano in front the entire Apollo cabin? She's avoided mentioning it for an entire year.

"Come back alive, Seaweed Brain," she says, glaring back at him. "Then we'll see." And Percy runs away to battle chuckling- _chuckling!_

Perseus Jackson was insane.

"What-" she rounds on Michael Yew- "in the _Hades_ was that all about?"

Michael just chuckles. (What _was_ it with guys and _chuckling_ in the face of battle?) "You're the Athena kid. Shouldn't you know?" She just stares blankly at him. Michael fishes for an explanation. "It's the now or never thing, right?"

"But it's ridiculous- it's completely unfair for him to distract me with something like _that _at a time like _this_-"

"Hey, all's fair in love and war, right?" says Michael. "Maybe for you guys, this is a little bit of both."

Perseus Jackson _and_ Michael Yew, Annabeth decided, were completely insane.


End file.
